AUSTIN , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Lady Bird Johnson , who was first lady during the 1960s and in her later years became an advocate for beautifying public landscapes , died Wednesday , family spokesman Tom Johnson said . She was 94 .

Lady Bird Johnson 's real name was Claudia .

She was the widow of Lyndon Baines Johnson , sworn in as the nation 's 36th president on November 22 , 1963 , just hours after President John F. Kennedy 's assassination .

Lady Bird Johnson was briefly hospitalized last month with a low-grade fever . She was released and returned to her Austin home on June 28 . After suffering a stroke in 2002 that limited her ability to speak , she communicated chiefly by writing .

Upon news of her death , Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff .

`` Lady Bird Johnson embodied all that is beautiful and good about the great state of Texas , '' Perry said . `` She inspired generations of Americans with her graceful strength , unwavering commitment to family and keen sense of social justice . ''

The former first lady was born Claudia Alta Taylor in 1912 in Karnack , Texas , a small town near the Louisiana line . She got her unusual nickname while still a toddler from her nurse , who proclaimed the child was as `` purty as a lady bird . ''

Lady Bird attended St. Mary 's Episcopal School for Girls , a junior college near Dallas and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin . She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1933 , then stayed an extra year to earn a journalism degree .

She hoped to become a newspaper reporter , but those plans changed after she met a 26-year-old congressional aide named Lyndon Baines Johnson . Watch the former first lady 's life in restrospect ''

They married in 1934 after a whirlwind courtship and soon moved to Washington .

Early on , Lady Bird Johnson proved herself to be the quintessential political wife . In 1937 she used part of an inheritance to fund her husband 's first bid for public office and campaigned with him to win a congressional seat .

She used more of her mother 's money and Johnson 's connections to purchase a faltering Austin radio station in 1942 for $ 17,500 . She turned it around and later used the station as a base for a multimillion-dollar communications company based in Austin .

After three failed pregnancies , she gave birth to the Johnsons ' first daughter , Lynda Bird , in 1944 , followed by Luci Baines three years later .

Lyndon Johnson rose quickly in politics , becoming the youngest Senate majority leader .

In 1960 , Johnson set his sights on the presidency but lost the Democratic nomination to Kennedy . A day later , he agreed to become Kennedy 's running mate .

Lady Bird Johnson traveled more than 35,000 miles during that campaign .

After one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history , Johnson was sworn in as vice president on January 20 , 1961 .

With Kennedy 's assassination , Johnson became the 36th president .

As the Johnsons moved into the White House , Lady Bird Johnson `` went around and went to all of the staff that was remaining in their jobs , told them how happy she was to have them there , '' said Leticia Baldridge , Jacqueline Kennedy 's former social secretary .

`` She needed their help . She needed their support . And , of course , they all just immediately turned from supporting the Kennedys to supporting the Johnsons . That 's what the staff does in the White House . ''

In the landslide election of 1964 , Lyndon Johnson won victories in the Northeast , West and Southwest . Of the eight Southern states that many had expected to vote for Republican Barry Goldwater , six went for LBJ -- in part , it was said , because of the first lady 's efforts .

During her husband 's one term as president , Lady Bird Johnson worked tirelessly for the beautification of America , promoting the Highway Beautification Act , which sought to limit billboards . She was also a strong advocate for the Head Start program .

Lyndon Johnson died in 1973 .

In 1982 , she founded the National Wildflower Research Center outside of Austin . The center was renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1998 . Its mission is the research and preservation of native plants throughout the United States . E-mail to a friend

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Former first lady , widow of Lyndon Baines Johnson , dies in Texas

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She was treated last month for fever , suffered a stroke in 2002

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Former Claudia Alta Taylor was successful businesswoman

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After term ended , she became highway-beautification advocate